The Seneca Partners Team

About

The Seneca team is a select group of dedicated professionals, committed to excellence in service and execution. The firm is focused on people and relationships in all aspects of our business,that the team has developed throughout their careers. With a wealth of experience in transactions of all kinds, we possess the talent and expertise to manage deals and engagements of any scale, scope or design. The Seneca team has extensive hands-on experience in the areas of operations, financing, and strategic planning, enabling us to be value-added partners for our companies.

Anthony W. Zambelli

Managing Director

Anthony W. Zambelli

Managing Director

During the past 30 years, Tony Zambelli has served as an advisor to business owners, managers and investors regarding planning, implementing and evaluating successful growth strategies. He has led more than 100 transactions during his career including acquisitions, divestitures, financings, recapitalizations and other corporate finance activities. Tony’s experience has been focused primarily in the manufacturing, business service, technology and financial industries. In addition to advising on middle market M&A transactions, he also has significant experience advising entrepreneurs with growth stage companies, ethnic minority owners of MBE entities, and other senior executives trying to navigate through the process of management buyouts. Prior to co-founding Seneca Partners, Tony was Founder and Managing Director of Manchester Capital LLC; Managing Director and Practice Leader of the Great Lakes Region Corporate Finance business at Deloitte & Touche LLP; Senior Manager of the Midwest Corporate Finance practice at Price WaterhouseCoopers LLC; Manager and Transaction Advisor at Tunstall Consulting (Tampa, FL); and, Senior Associate at KPMG Peat Marwick. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of five privately held entities as well as the “Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original”. Tony formerly served on the Boards of six other privately held entities, the State of Michigan Pre-Seed Fund (representing the Oakland University Smart Zone), and GreenPath Debt Solutions, where he was Vice Chairman and Treasurer. He graduated from The Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan and is a CPA in both Michigan and Florida (inactive status). Tony is a State Certified Volunteer Firefighter for Bloomfield Village (Bloomfield Township), Michigan. He is also an avid golfer and fan of many college and professional sports.

Michael C. Skaff

Managing Director

Michael C. Skaff

Managing Director

Mike Skaff has over 23 years of experience in operational, transaction and senior management as a principal and advisor. His industry experience has been focused on healthcare, manufacturing (automotive and non-automotive), distribution, information technology, and consumer products. Prior to co-founding Seneca Partners, Mike was a Principal at Manchester Capital, Vice President of Home Care Operations at MedMax, Inc., and CEO at Detroit Oxygen and Medical Equipment Co., Inc./DOME Infusion Therapy Services. Mike began his career in the Midwest Corporate Finance Practice at Price WaterhouseCoopers LLC. He also was the Treasurer & founding Board Member of HHCP LLC and Founding Board Member of National Provider Network LLC. He earned a BS in Economics and Mathematics and a MBA with Finance concentration from the University of Michigan. He is proficient in French and actively participates in a variety of sports including golf and squash.

Al Robertson

Director

Al Robertson

Director

Al Robertson has over 20 years of combined experience in investment banking, leveraged finance, engineering, and project management. Al has spent the last six years with Seneca Partners, where he advises clients on mergers & acquisitions and capital raising transactions. While at Seneca, transaction experience includes manufacturing, healthcare, business certification services, and light assemble operations. Prior to Seneca, Al spent five years in the Leveraged Finance Group for Wachovia Securities, with transaction experience in leveraged buyouts, corporate restructuring, and senior and subordinated debt underwriting, across a wide range of industries. Prior to Wachovia, Al was an engineer with General Motors, specializing in vehicle dynamics control and software development. Al earned an MBA from the University of Michigan and BS in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M University.

Kevin Crowley

Managing Director - S.E.

Kevin Crowley

Managing Director - S.E.

Kevin Crowley has worked as a financial advisor and investment manager for over 25 years. He began his career at General Motors working at their headquarters and then in the Treasury department of EDS. Subsequently, he was an investment banker for approximately 14 years in New York and Tokyo. At J.P. Morgan as a Vice President, he covered the Natural Resources sector and assisted clients with a variety of corporate finance projects related to capital raising, restructuring, and mergers & acquisitions. Thereafter, at Deutsche Bank he was a Managing Director in the Mergers & Acquisitions group and advised clients in a broad range of industries. During his banking career, Kevin completed over 30 transactions and developed a specialization in cross-border M&A. He has worked with corporate clients and private equity firms based in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia. From 2005-2010, he managed a market neutral hedge fund with a quantitative trading approach. Since 2006, Kevin has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University, where he has taught courses in Private Equity, M&A, International Finance, and Investment Banking to undergraduates, MBA students and executives. Kevin has a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In his private time, Kevin enjoys golf and travel with his family.

Klaas Baks PhD

Managing Director - S.E.

Klaas Baks PhD

Managing Director - S.E.

Klaas P. Baks PhD has worked in the financial industry for over 20 years and is a recognized thought-leader in alternative investments. Dr. Baks has been a Finance Professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School since 2002. Dr. Baks is the co-founder and executive director of the Emory Center for Alternative Investments, whose international board consists of chief executive officers of pension and sovereign wealth funds with over $1 trillion in assets under management. Dr. Baks is the Atlanta Chair with TIGER 21, North America's premier peer-to-peer learning network for high-net-worth investors. Dr. Baks serves as director or advisor for over 13 companies and investment funds with over $3 billion in assets under management, including Brightwood Capital Advisors (fixed income), Kruger Capital (private equity), Panton Equity Partners (private equity), Peachtree Hotel Group (real estate). Prior to joining Emory University, Dr. Baks held positions at Fuji Bank in Tokyo, Japan, Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong and the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. Dr. Baks studied at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (PhD in Finance), Brown University (Master’s in Economics), Groningen University (Master’s in Econometrics, cum laude) and Leiden University (Diploma in Japanese Language and Business Studies). He spent two years at Harvard University as part of his doctoral research at Wharton on the performance of actively managed mutual funds. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Dr. Baks resides with his wife and son in Atlanta, Georgia.

David Rainey

Analyst

David Rainey

Analyst

David Rainey is an Analyst at Seneca Partners. His duties include industry research, financial modeling, complex Excel programming, as well as performing financial and strategic analysis on behalf of clients and portfolio companies involved with merger and acquisition transactions. Prior to joining Seneca, David held internships at the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office and Versaille Capital. During his time at the Public Defender's Office, he interviewed clients and aided in trial preparation for a large financial fraud case. While at Versaille Capital, he performed financial research in addition to quantitative analysis and IT responsibilities. David received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Michigan. He also enjoys cooking, golfing, snowboarding, and new technology.

Melissa Smith

Executive Assistant

Melissa Smith

Executive Assistant

Melissa has been with Seneca since 2012 serving as the executive assistant and office manager. She coordinates event planning and provides administrative support to Seneca’s team. Prior to Seneca, Melissa held a variety of administrative positions in the financial and business services industries.